Books

First published in France as Gymnase et Dressage, Henriquet on Dressage is a textbook on equitation that is set upon a framework of training three young horses from their initial breaking in up to the execution of classical airs at the age of nine. The different characteristics of each horse act as aide memoires, prompting the author to draw upon his vast and broad-based equestrian experience, thereby highlighting the value of particular aspects of communication and technique. One aspect of the author's background, which adds depth and authority to his work, is his comprehensive understanding of various strands of equestrian thought. This long-time disciple and friend of the late Nuno Oliveira does not subscribe to one school of equestrian tradition only. Instead, he distils and applies that which is most useful from the legacies of La Gueriniere, as handed down through Steinbrecht, and of Baucher, as expounded by Faverot de Kerbrech and, in the most subtle manner, by Oliveira himself. The training described in Henriquet on Dressage is carried out in distinct, progressive stages, which the author calls 'the time to understand, the time to learn, the time to do' and 'the time to perfect'. These designations highlight clearly the fact that it is the horse's increasing levels of mental and physical development, rather than the calendar, which dictate progress towards the rassembler - that advanced level of true collection which lies at the heart of all truly classical work. Henriquet on Dressage is a book that will satisfy and inform all who seek guidance on working in the true classical tradition, where patience, a desire to educate and artistic endeavour remain timeless virtues

Hardback.